There was once a time when Manchester United could hand-pick the Premier League's cream of the crop and face next to no competition for their signatures.

However, as the landscape of the transfer market has changed and United's woes have worsened over the past decade, the club has often been forced down the route of signing from abroad.

In this decade alone, for example, United have made 26 first-team signings on permanent deals and only Mason Mount has arrived directly from a Premier League counterpart, signing from Chelsea in July 2023.

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Providing United stave off the increasing threat of relegation and are preparing for the first full season of the Ruben Amorim era as a Premier League club this summer, they should be looking to shop in the west London region again.

Scoring goals, not for the first time in recent seasons, has been a massive problem for United so far this term, highlighted by their paltry tally of just 21 in their opening 19 Premier League matches. In contrast, Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo has scored 11 on his own.

The Cameroonian international moved to within one goal of matching Chelsea's Cole Palmer and Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak's tallies of 12 by opening the scoring in the Bees' 3-1 defeat to Arsenal on New Year's Day. He fired Thomas Frank's side in front with a trademark left-footed finish, beating David Raya at his near post.

Mbeumo, who has only been outscored in the Premier League this season by Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland, Palmer and Isak, has been directly involved in 13 league goals in 19 matches this season. He racked up 15 direct goal contributions last term and 17 the season prior.

Directly involved in 45 goals in his last 82 Premier League appearances highlights his excellent consistency. His numbers, without a doubt, make him one of the Premier League's best players.

What is all the more impressive is that Mbeumo, 25, is not an out-and-out striker, though he can operate through the middle if required. He is at his best coming in off the right flank and causing havoc with his left foot.

He often finds pockets of space in the right channel and regularly looks to cut inside and shoot on his left foot. It has become a trademark theme of Brentford's play ever since they signed him from Troyes in 2019, at which point they were in the Championship.

Under Amorim, United have transitioned to a 3-4-3 formation, meaning there is an expectation for the wing-backs to provide width. They are key to the shape and United desperately need to upgrade their left-sided options.

However, on the right, Amad has caught eye when deployed in the wing-back role, despite starting the last four Premier League matches as the right-sided No.10 in the front-three. The Ivorian has not been as effective in that position, but Amorim, ahead of Monday night's 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United, explained that he was deploying the former Sunderland loanee in that role because of his desire for it to be filled with a left-footed player.

"I think Amad, in that position [right wing-back], he could be an option, but in this moment with the type of players we have we need a left footer on that position in front," said Amorim.

The United head coach delivered a similar message after Amad started as the right-sided No.10 against Viktoria Plzen last month, saying: "He can be a good player in that position. We need left-footed players in this team to play that role."

Having made no secret of United's need for a left-footed player in the right-sided No.10 position, their case for attempting to sign Mbeumo should only grow. The Cameroonian, who will turn 26 in August, is a workaholic, who will run and work tirelessly for the team, making him the ideal player for Amorim's system, where running is a non-negotiable.

As well as being of the ideal profile for the right-sided No.10 position, Mbeumo, as already highlighted, also has the ability to play through the middle as the central striker, meaning he would offer United a feeling of versatility in the forward line that has been missing.

Of course, interest is going to be high in Mbeumo, likewise Brentford's valuation, but United need to recruit players with a proven track record of delivering in the Premier League and ones who are shoo-ins for Amorim's system.

Mbeumo, whose contract is up in 2026, ticks a lot of boxes.